Some web applications implement deal services that allow a merchant to offer an item for sale at a discounted price for a predetermined time period. These services may display this deal (e.g., a deal of the day) to users that visit their web site, and may communicate this deal (e.g., via email) to users that have subscribed to their service. A user may visit the web site that provides deal services, and may subscribe to become a member. Then, as a member, the user may receive daily notifications for that day's special deal, and may purchase the deal through the web site.
However, to make the deal services worthwhile to the merchant, these services may promote a single sale item (or a few sale items) at a time to its users so that the merchant's deal gains massive exposure. For example, a user visiting a web site that provides deal services may select a city from which to view special deals, and this user may be presented with an opportunity to purchase a sale item at a discounted rate from a merchant that is local to this city. Unfortunately, while these deal services are designed to provide a large number of new customers to a merchant, these deal services don't do enough to create a social environment around a sale item where members of this environment are encouraged to interact.